Blood and Bullets
by Laon Kame
Summary: Yuki's shot and in a coma. Zero's devastated, and Kaname's furious.  KanamexZero eventually.  forever incomplete.
1. First Day

A/N: The finished chapter.

**This is only set after the second book. I have no knowledge of later chapters.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I could draw that well, though. ):

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She had been shot. 

That was the only thing that was running,_ screaming_, through Zero's mind as he let it run over him over and over again in a malevolent cycle of shock as he stared at Yuki's body lain out on the bed at a hospital in town.

She had been shot in the crossfire of some human bank robbery, and now she was dying.

_Dying._

He stared at the closed eyelids, how her face was so pale, and the bandages that peeked out of her neckline. The soft brown of her hair, and how she had been changed out of her normal clothes and into some sort of gown that provided no warmth at all.

He could still hear her heartbeat, but the blood would have been intoxicating if only he hadn't fed on her like the foul beast he was just earlier on that day. Would the bullet have missed if she wasn't unstable from having her blood taken away? Would she have been able to dodge it so it wasn't wedged into her chest, only miraculously missing her heart? Would he, if only he hadn't been in a sated haze, have been able to stop the man shooting the gun?

Would she…

The door banged open in a rather unceremonious way as the Headmaster charged through the small room and to Yuki's side. This was no surprise.

However, the pureblood vampire that strode through just as quickly but in a much more dignified way almost made Zero snap out of his haze as Kaname Kuran stopped short of the bed, looking at Yuki's coma-like state and IV drip before turning slowly to Zero. He only vaguely noticed the murderous look in Kuran's eyes before the vampire grabbed Zero's collar and shoved him to the nearest wall, holding him up with inhuman strength.

Would she…

"Why didn't you take that bullet for her?" The hiss was unmistakably furious, but Zero didn't notice.

Would she blame him for this?

"Kaname! Let go of him!" The Headmaster was making useless gestures with his hands, obviously trying not to tug on Kuran's body in any way. The pureblood vampire was radiating fury.

He took Zero's limp body away from the wall and slammed him into it again, but the pain only vaguely registered to his fogged mind.

"I'm sorry…" A voice said, cracking as every syllable went into a higher pitch, until Zero realized it was his own. He didn't struggle against the hand that was choking him. He deserved it.

Yuki was the only reason he was alive in the first place.

The hand tightened fractionally until Zero thought he would actually die, and then released him, letting his body slide down to the cold, hard floor. He heard several clicks of Kuran's shoes upon the vinyl and then the subtle shut of the door.

It was so ironic that even Kaname Kuran, Yuki's hero, couldn't heal this wound. Perhaps relieve the pain, but what use was that when Yuki was in a coma?

He sat there, unmoving, for a long time, with the Headmaster just on the other side of the suffocating room.

"Zero," the man said, keeping a safe distance away, "you have to come back to Cross Academy. You have your duties."

The window blinds filtered in the fading sunset's light, subtly emphasizing the Headmaster's words.

Zero couldn't even cop up the energy to feel angry. He just lay there limply, staring at the unmoving figure in the hospital bed, how her eyelashes had their own shadow upon her cheeks, how the blanket covered all of the blood, how she looked like she could just wake up at any time.

"Zero," the Headmaster pressed.

His eyes were the first to acknowledge that the man who had taken care of him since he was thirteen. Then his head lolled to the side, and the Headmaster reached out a hand for him to take.

He had never taken that hand in his four years of living with him.

This knowledge was the only thing that kept him from taking it, forcing himself to use muscles that screamed to stay where they were, like how that person Yuki had saved screamed when she had taken the bullet for her.

He got up, swaying, stabilized himself, walked past the Headmaster, past the nurses that cast pitying looks at him, past the receptionist, past everyone until he was at the gates of the Moon Dorm.

By then, the girls, those girls, had already congregated themselves, waiting for the aristocrats to arrive.

It was ironic when they parted one by one as he shoved by them, unwilling to take the effort to weave through them.

They didn't even complain as they took one look at his face and saw something that made them pity him.

"Go back to your dorms," he rasped out in front of the girls as the gates opened.

He was ignored pitifully as the girls surged against his one person, only those that he had brushed past trickling away.

"Go back to your dorms," he said, louder and hoarse, his voice cracking.

This time, in his futile attempt to stop them, he was pushed over, elbow taking the brunt of the collision as he fell. He smelled his own blood as the cement gnashed and scraped against his skin.

"Go away, Mr. Disciplinary Committee!" one particularly nasty girl said, only stopping for a moment to smirk down into his face before disappearing.

There were exclamations of surprise among the Night Class students as the girls horded around them, so reminiscent of the time he changed into a vampire that he felt sick.

"Girls." Kuran's voice called out, almost immediately silencing the group because of the fact that _Kaname Kuran _was speaking, before they all started screaming with fangirl release. The Night Class president spoke again, and Zero only then realized that the shoed foot in front of his face was Kuran's.

Then, supposedly as a response to the pureblood vampire's words, the girls miraculously disappeared.

Zero lifted an elbow to prop himself up, kneeling slowly, subconsciously taking into amount the minimal damage he had been given, while simultaneously bringing out his Bloody Rose to face the vampires that surrounded him.

Kaname, surprisingly, was the one that stepped towards him, his eyes glinting with hatred, the same face he had given him after Zero had—

Bitten Yuki.

He felt tired again, like every bone in his body ached, feeling his regret wash over him, just as his existence often did. He was only a beast in human form, Zero thought bitterly even as he sniffed his own blood and felt a carnal wish for flesh.

And then, as if that realization had triggered some sort of reaction, the Night Class dispersed as Kuran walked by Zero's pointed gun, past it, and disappeared within the school grounds, his aristocrats trailing along behind the pureblood, all each giving Zero their glares.

None of them touched him.

He walked slowly towards the building, a good distance between him and the vampires.

It was going to be a long night.

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A/N: As always, reviews are appreciated. (Thank you, xxpatixx.) 


	2. Second Day

**A/N: **SO sorry for all of you who have been waiting for this.. piece of crap. It's sort of an interlude, and I couldn't find any way to make it longer without making it seem any more redundant than it already is. Well, read in between the lines and predict what's coming next--it's very predictable.

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**Second Day**

Zero had a pounding headache. It hurt, just like that grinding feeling in his veins, almost as if his muscles were dry and sore.

He hated it.

It was just the daily reminder that he had to feed off of some blood from a human and he had to lock himself up again and Yuki was still in the hospital.

God, he hated it; hated the fact that even Yuki's blood was being deemed insufficient for his inevitable insanity, hated the fact that he had to hurt someone that accepted him, hated that she was hurt because of that.

He hated it.

"Not looking so well, Kiryu." Zero nearly bashed his head into the wall he was clutching at from Kuran's voice, which, he dimly noted, didn't seem as venomous as he would have expected.

But, under some sort of human self-restraint, he bit out, "Go to hell, Kuran."

"I just came here to tell you that Yuki is not in terminal condition as of now."

Zero's eyes widened fractionally, and he was suddenly glad that Kuran could only see his back.

"Is that it?" Zero asked, in a less strained voice. Yuki wasn't going to die.

Yuki wasn't going to die.

"Yes, Mr. Disciplinary Committee," Kuran said, and Zero could almost imagine him giving him that sarcastic wave before hearing that definitive click of Kuran's shoes on the floor, fading away until Zero couldn't hear him anymore.

He slid down to the floor.

She wasn't going to die.


	3. Third Day

**A/N**: Well, it's taken a long time to get this chapter up.

**Thank you, everyone who reviewed! **It really does help when you do review, if only for a morale boost. Hopefully, the third volume of VK is coming out soon to America, so I'll be able to read it!

**zst4ever: Thank you for the review. I really do hope it's original. (:  
**

**Desiree: Lolz. Yeah, it should calm you down a little. xD I'm going for more of an angsty relationship of insecurity before actually getting to the real romance, because, as you can see in this chapter, Kaname and Zero still hate each other; if I was writing the hatexlove relationship, there would already be snogging in the first chapter, haha. Thanks for the support!**

**Manga-Dyuu: Haha, yeah, I'm not planning on making Zero too sad. **

**Vampire-Knight-Yaoi: Thank you**

**Fake is the New Real: I like your username. :D Here's your chapter!**

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**Third Day**

Yesterday, Zero's first instinct had been to go directly to the town hospital to see Yuki; however, it wasn't until the gates of the school that he recognized the origin of that instinct.

It was the need for blood.

He had been immediately sickened by his own self, not even giving himself the minor excuse that he wanted to check that she was alright, reasoning with himself that he could trust Kuran at least on that particular aspect of Yuki's health.

Zero had locked himself up in the Headmaster's room again, clutching at his head from the pounding headache that resided there, curled up into a fetal position as he fought off the urge to go open those doors and bite the first person he saw.

So, as dawn streamed through the blinds in the dimly lit room, it struck him ironically funny that the Night Class had probably been unfortunately bombarded by the fan girls, when all Zero wanted at that point was to bite one of them.

Hours passed. The faint ticking of the clock--now seeming immensely loud--sometimes synced with his pounding head, and the light sometimes reflected off some random object, and the Headmaster sometimes knocked, came in, tried to offer blood tablets, then would leave once he refused (for some inexplicable reason, he had no particular interest in taking the Headmaster's blood), and sometimes he fell asleep with his sore muscles and sometimes he was almost overcome by his bloodlust.

And sometimes he could imagine smelling Yuki's scent, and then he would shake his head and tell himself that she was in the hospital until he heard her voice.

"Kaname?" The question was wavering, uncertain. But it was definitely _hers_, and his headache intensified and that lust for blood made him lunge then stop himself from going to the door that was just a few meters away from where he was at the wall.

"Yuki, you should be back at the hospital." That hated voice of the pureblood.

"But Zero is--"

Kuran interrupted, something he rarely did. "Yuki, you cannot give your blood to Kiryu. You'll die." All of this was said in those caring tones of the pureblood, and suddenly Zero recognized a faint undertone of worry.

"But…"

"Yuki, I will take care of it."

"Kaname, you won't kill him--"

"No, I won't."

There was a pause.

Zero could hear the rustle of their clothing as he knew Kuran drew Yuki towards him, hugged her, and then turned her away.

And then it was silent as Zero smirked in the irony that there was no chance that Kuran would "take care of him" and that the pain was back again that he had nothing to focus on.

But just as he was curling up into a ball again there was a soft knock before the lock broke and Kuran stepped in with that pristine uniform, and Zero glared at him with the pitiful reserve of strength he had.

Kuran glared back at him, staring as if he was the foulest animal on the earth and in the universe, but at that point he didn't care as he curled upon himself again as he smelled the skin and flesh radiating from the doorway and from the body in front of him.

He didn't want to be seen like this in front of his worst enemy.

"Kiryu."

He curled tighter around himself in a protective ball, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Kiryu."

Zero couldn't answer. He _wouldn't _answer. If he opened his mouth he might bite someone.

"_Kiryu_."

"_Go away, Kuran_," Zero said, his voice much sharper, much hoarser, and much quieter than he had imagined his voice to be.

He heard that sharp click of Kuran's shoes come closer, closer, until he thought that Kuran was going to step on him and then the advance stopped as something thumped to the floor and it was only by Zero's sense of smell that he recognized it as Kuran's uniform.

What was he trying to _do_? He could feel the body warmth of the pureblood so close, almost hear the blood pumping through the veins not a foot in front of him, and…

He didn't want to hurt anyone. He couldn't trust himself at this point to bite anyone and stop by himself.

He wasn't expecting Kuran to jerk him up by the collar and press Zero's face to the pureblood's neck.

Zero struggled against that iron shackled grip.

He couldn't. He _wouldn't_.

But his face was pressed into something that would feed him, to sate his hunger, that pinging in his head, to stop the _pain_.

And even as Zero opened his mouth to let his tongue lick the skin offered to him, he struggled, hoping that Kuran would _understand _that he couldn't let himself do this, and even as he buried his fangs in that pearly white neck, he struggled, both clutching at Kuran's undershirt and pushing away.

However, as soon as the blood spurted into his mouth, Zero knew he was lost. It had a sharper tang than Yuki's blood, and was not sweet at all. Rather, it was metallic, coppery, the same way any human's blood would have tasted if he was still a human.

Even so, it was still ecstasy.

He pulled harder at the neck offered to him, piercing deeper, drinking more…

A hand lifted him and flung him into the wall, and then almost immediately Zero was suffocating as a hand choked his throat.

"_Aido_!" Kuran's stern voice broke the bloodied haze that he was in, and stopped the hand that had been choking him.

And suddenly, he understood. He had drank blood from _Kaname Kuran_, a pureblood vampire, one out of a handful and one that had just been pierced by him, a former human.

A former human biting a pureblood when his aristocrats were not even out of the campus.

Zero stood, Aido's face now coming into focus, and wiped his mouth with his arm, smearing the blood on the white shirt he had on. He saw the whole Night Class had assembled within the Headmaster's too-small office, all of them radiating a killing aura.

He could clearly see Aido restraining himself from lunging at him with the better idea of slicing his head off.

"_You will not touch Kaname-sama_!" Aido choked out, eyes narrowed in barely repressible rage.

Zero didn't answer; he didn't have one. He had no defenses here, and his Bloody Rose was still in his room. Yuki wouldn't have wanted to find out that he killed himself.

Kuran's hand descended on Aido's shoulder. "Aido."

"Kaname-sama, he--" The aristocrat protested, turning to Kuran.

"_I am well aware of that fact, Aido._" The president's voice was hardened, cold and Aido paled. Then, turning to Zero, Kuran beckoned him in a sharp motion.

Zero didn't move.

"Kiryu, if you would come with me." Kuran's voice was unchanged from the last exchange he had with Aido, still cold and unnerving, but this time, Zero stepped towards him.

And again, as Kuran addressed the Night Class, telling them to go back to their dorms.

And again, as the Night Class disbanded and they were the only ones left in the room.

Kuran turned without another word, bending down to collect his uniform, and then walking through the open door of the Headmaster's office.

And Zero followed.

-------

It appeared that they were going to the hospital. Various girls swooned over Kaname's aristocratic form and poise throughout the town, and Zero was ignored, thankfully.

Zero had washed his face and changed before going out, so he didn't look quite as bedraggled as before. He was vaguely questioning of how Kuran stepped out into the fading sunlight, but he wrote it off as a pureblood "power".

Ironic.

He was so tempted to ask questions of _why. _Kuran had no obligation to him, or of Yuki that he knew of to go so far. Kuran was a pureblood vampire--higher than all other vampires but for other purebloods.

So, why?

"I do not need to explain myself to you, Kiryu," Kuran said, an amber eye regarding him coolly as they walked. It was only then that Zero realized that he had mumbled the last question aloud.

Inside him, there was that inexplicable desire to show gratitude. However…

Another glance at Kuran made him store it away. Vampires were pitiful beings.

They arrived at the hospital, and Kuran, charming the nurse, was let through while Zero walked behind inconspicuously.

The door to Yuki's room opened before Kuran could even reach for the knob, revealing the patient herself.

"Kaname… Zero!" Yuki's exclamation of surprise echoed down the corridor and a nearby nurse shushed them. Yuki flushed, then let them through and closed the door. The room was empty. "Zero, are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," he replied.

"How come you're--" Yuki stopped, looking horrified at what she'd almost said as she swayed and then sat down on the bed. Zero felt a pang; he really would have killed her if she had entered the Headmaster's office and then he felt that desire to thank Kuran again and he squashed it.

"Yuki… It's all right," Kuran said, walking towards her slowly.

"Kaname…?" Yuki asked, tentative, an unspoken question that Zero already knew the answer to.

"There has been a new type of blood tablet that has been developed," Kuran lied smoothly, and if Zero hadn't known the truth, he would have believed him. "Most former humans can digest it."

Yuki was trapped in his lie, Zero could tell, as a smile broke across her face. But why…?

"Zero, isn't this great?" Yuki was tugging on his sleeve lightly, smiling brightly.

He tried to return it, but only succeeded in a grimace. "Yeah." Why did Kuran lie?

"Zero..?" Yuki's eyes were drooping, and thankfully, she fell back against the bed softly, asleep.

Zero looked up to Kuran, who had been silent most of the exchange, and caught the last remnants of something akin to a lonely affection before it turned back into that cool gaze that he appraised Zero with.

"Kiryu, I would expect that you should be sated for awhile," the Night Class president said in those coldly polite tones. "If you feel up to your duties for tonight, perform them while staying close to me." Kuran looked back to the bed, letting that affectionate look take over his facial expression for a mere moment as he smoothed a hair away from Yuki's face before becoming cool and unapproachable again.

The pureblood walked out of the room without a second glance.

_And Zero followed._

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**A/N**: Reviews are indeed appreciated. Very much. :D 


	4. Fourth Day

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! **I had a lot of work due last week, and I was swamped. I didn't have that much time to write, but I had Friday off, so I used that time and here the chapter is! I realized during writing this that I never specified what day of the week it was, so that gets said here.

**Vampire-Knight-Yaoi: Haha, nothing's gonna happen for a long time.. I don't think.**

**Manga Dyuu: Ha, you reviewed twice. (: Kaname's not gonna hurt Zero all that much anymore. A little bit of Kaname's thoughts are shown in this chapter, so infer all you want from it.**

**zst4ever: Wow, I'm glad it was unexpected. (: It's better that way, because I don't really like going along with expected things. It was really perfect? Thanks:D**

**Fake Is the New Real: You want more, you've got it! And Kaname is sort of like your username.. With his facade and all. :)  
**

**shogi: Glad you liked it. I like it too.. Sort of. But it's always nice to know that people like my stuff. Thank you!**

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**Fourth Day**

It was hardly past midnight and already Zero was bored out of his barely-retained mind. The animosity could almost be heard like a shriek of rage as the aristocrats bared their fangs at him when Kuran wasn't looking. It was horribly… amusing, for once, in that part of Zero's mind that had never grown after that pureblood vampire had bitten him, the kid who was still at least somewhat innocent.

Feeling no self-consciousness whatsoever, that part of his mind delighted whenever Aido or Seiren featured a glare at him or a hiss. It had the childish urge to stick his tongue out back at them, just because of the fact that he knew that he was getting away with something.

Then, that realization would go to the thought of taking Kuran's blood and then that part within him would die a little, just like his mental self died the day that that pureblood vampire changed him.

And then it would swirl back to the unanswered questions that Kuran's infuriating character seemed to thrive upon.

Why did he let—no, make Zero drink his blood?

Why did he lie to Yuki? More importantly, how did he have that lie so readily on hand?

Why?

"I do not need to explain myself to you, Kiryu." Kuran's words echoed in response to his question and he nearly emptied a clip of his Bloody Rose's bullets into the vampire that hissed at him at that moment.

"Kiryu, it is almost dawn. You should retire to your dorm." Kuran seemed untroubled, giving off his cool façade as if nothing had happened within the past few days. Thinking of it, Zero realized that he hadn't shown any signs of anger as soon as they had stepped into the school premises.

Yet another question added to his collection.

"Kiryu," Kuran repeated, and Zero snapped out of his reverie. "You should retire to your dorm for today."

Zero was nearly tempted to scowl back as he always did. But he still had questions that couldn't be asked with the Night Class practically breathing down—or hissing, if one wanted to get technical—his back.

However, it would be a cold day in hell when he would ask Kuran to come with him.

"Kiryu, should I escort you to your dorm to wake you up from your dreaming?" Kuran still had his polite façade with that serene look of indifference.

Zero, at that moment, decided he hated it.

But… "Come on, Kuran."

The childish side of him giggled as the classroom they were in bristled at his tone.

It quieted when Kuran didn't even blink, but it knew that something about the pureblood had changed and Zero walked out of the door.

He was vaguely surprised when the Night Class president walked behind him. It felt…

Wrong.

Why did Kuran go out of his way to…

Zero shook his head. He was only confusing himself more and more with every unanswered question. He could ask Kuran as soon as they reached his dorm.

They walked in silence, the only sound being their steps on the hardwood flooring and then on the ground and then on the hardwood flooring again.

Zero mechanically opened the door, and after a moment's hesitation, held it open for Kuran. The Night Class president regarded him with an unnerving stare that vaguely reminded him of a predator analyzing its prey.

"Kiryu, what are you trying to do?" The tone wasn't hostile; for once, it only seemed mildly curious rather than that maddening come-hither attitude Kuran usually had.

Zero didn't answer. He couldn't, really, not when he was exceptionally sure that Kuran would walk away the moment that he asked a question--and this time, Zero wanted answers. Kuran had to be planning something, and that nagging feeling of gratitude still griped at himself and wouldn't go away no matter how much he told it that Kuran was a pureblood or a bastard.

He didn't want to let that feeling grow.

They stared at each other in a stagnant silence, both of their gazes increasing in intensity with every passing moment.

Surprisingly enough, Kuran was the one who looked away with nothing more than a casual turn of the head as if they had not been glaring at each other and stepped inside of Zero's room.

As he passed by, Zero felt a jolt of something as he smelled that sharp tang that was indefinably Kuran and then a pull that nearly made him reach out a hand to the pureblood vampire.

Instead, his hand twitched as he followed Kuran into his own room and closed the door behind him.

------

Kaname hadn't sat down. Instead, he opted to stare at Kiryu with what he knew an uncanny gaze.

There was no questioning of the fact that Yuki's friend wanted to interrogate him. It would serve a small purpose, Kaname supposed, if he did answer some of them. Though he had no particular liking for the former human, Yuki would no doubt be lost without him.

Yuki was his dear girl. There was nothing that could be done to change that fact.

It was the only thing that let Kiryu pierce him yesterday. Though, it was to say that his ego and pride were fairly bruised. Being bitten by a lowly former human was a humiliation to the pureblood race, and he was still furious.

He would never allow the former human the pleasure to know of that emotion any more than he had already.

"Kuran, what are you trying to do?" Kiryu's voice reached into his consciousness, pulling him back to the real world gracefully.

"I should be asking you that, Kiryu," he said in his politely indifferent tone. It was all too easy to revert back into the mask that he had built around himself, especially when he could see the frustration build up in Kiryu's eyes. It was satisfying. "Why have you locked me in your own room? Surely you've had enough for now."

It was perversion to provoke Kiryu about that incident. His own diction had implied that he himself would be available _next time_.

Though Kaname had already acknowledged the experience and the emotions that coursed through him during those few seconds of giving his blood freely to someone else, it did not mean he had to particularly embrace them.

Anger, revulsion, _vulnerability_, and a little bit of something that made his heart's cadence grind to a frozen stop before fluctuating into an accelerated rhythm.

However, turning his attention back to Kiryu with those thoughts still in mind gave him that sickeningly lighthearted feeling again and he nearly ruptured his façade with a smile, one only reserved for Yuki.

Those feelings were only reserved for his dear girl.

"Kuran, you know what I'm talking about," Kiryu said, eyes flaring in a passion that Kaname only recognized now as something he would never be able to have. That realization slammed into his mask again, and he felt an imperceptible crack form. "Why are you going out of your way to protect me?"

The question took him off guard for a moment before he distinguished a bit of self-loathing in Kiryu's eyes, a self-loathing that differed from his usual hate.

With a concealed start, Kaname absorbed the fact that Kiryu had taken the time to realize that he was protecting him.

In truth, he had a response, but he did not want to give it. "I do not need to explain myself to you, Kiryu."

He saw the fist that was coming the moment that Kiryu's muscles twitched and let it slam into his open palm. It didn't have that much force; just enough to make his hand move backwards a mere centimeter before he grabbed the fist and twisted.

Kiryu twisted along with the force and landed on his back.

Kaname looked down on him, and Kiryu glared.

"Do you have any more questions for me, Kiryu?" Kaname asked politely, if only out of spite, before walking to the door.

He paused when his hand reached the cool metal of the doorknob. He had said that he would answer a few questions that no doubt plagued the little Kiryu's mind, but at this point, one would do. "I wanted to protect you." And then he opened the door, and walked out.

----

That bastard, Zero thought. It was a Friday, and the Night Class did not have a session that night.

He hadn't stopped Kuran from leaving. He had more dignity than that, but the bastard just had to leave him with one reason that he already thought was a lie.

But Kuran didn't lie, and that was what made him growl with frustration the whole day, the anger making him scowl throughout his classes and keeping him awake as well.

That night, he slept fitfully.

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**A/N**: Reviews are always appreciated! What do you think will happen next:) 


	5. Fifth Day

A/N: Whoo! Fifth chapter is finally up. Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to wait until the third volume of VK came out in America, but along the way I read up to the fifth volume online so I got carried away, puzzling over how to make this work without making my plot follow the VK plot and so on and so forth... :)

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight is owned by Matsuri Hino.

Oh, and this chapter is kind of.. all over the place. My muse tried to kill herself along the way, but... This is what came out of it. Erm. Enjoy. :)

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Fifth Day

Really, it must have been the Kuran blood running through his veins to have mistaken the fact that that bastard didn't lie.

Zero committed himself to connecting his head to his desk in a not-so-subtle way of expressing his frustration as the teacher in front snapped another pen, sending red ink splattering across the desk.

"Kiryu, another sound out of you and you will be given supplementary lessons!" The teacher, at this point, had stood up, slamming his hands upon the desktop, sending more ink flying through the air.

Zero banged his head to the desk again. He felt normal, without any bloodlust—at all. Kuran had promised him that. He didn't lie.

_He did lie to Yuki_, a taunting voice in his head said.

_He was protecting her._

_Oh? And I supposed you're going to say that he was also protecting you, too?_

At this point, Zero connected his head to his desk again, making a splinter in the wood.

"Kiryu!"

He looked up with his pasted on glare, appraised the teacher with it, and went back to knocking brain cells into nonexistence.

Why the hell would I say that?

_Because deep inside, you want to believe Yuki's pacifism. Because she's everything to you._

Cue head connecting to desk.

It was just great that he had reverted to talking to himself.

Kaname Kuran…

Bastard!

* * *

Kaname read his journal, carrying a slightly sourer outlook at the various semantic addendums riddled throughout his neat script of last night's entry. The Kiryu had insinuated himself into his thoughts even more than necessary, and it caused his usual assiduousness to break off at various points (though it was only indicated by slight markings at the ends of commas).

It was irritating.

He clapped the book shut and subjected himself to his fulminating thoughts against the Kiryu. They were obscene and minatory to his position in the stratum of vampires, much less his own psychological standing.

It was no use to be in denial about the Kiryu. Though being too accepting, he had put it off long enough to--

He looked up casually, hand running through his hair, to the door.

At this dawn, it would only be Ichijo awake enough to try to confront him, or confront him at all.

As expected, there was a knock on the door.

Kaname waited a few moments, building himself to the point of flawless confidence and benevolence before calling, "Ichijo, come in."

The door clicked open, and Ichijo's well-placed smile--almost as convincing as his own calculating face--greeted him.

Ichijo's smile disappeared after he closed the door behind him.

"Kaname," Ichijo started. Kaname noted again that he was the only one (besides Yuki and Kiryu--but the vampire despised him so it was of no real importance) that did not tack on the abhorred "-sama", and was vaguely more benign than he had been before. "What are you going to do with..?"

Kaname knew it was out of character for Ichijo to ask about his business. It was, after all, part of the reason he had assigned him to the status of Vice President. Alternately, it meant that Ichijo was concerned to the point of action.

Shifting his lounging posture to a proper sitting position, he interlaced his fingers together, elbows resting on his knees, a rare extraneous movement that only he and Ichijo had shared in a past in another lifetime.

His Vice President smiled. "Thank you, Kaname."

* * *

Zero, not for the first time that day, cringed at the thought of visiting Yuki.

She would smile at the "breakthrough" of the blood tablets, such a transparent lie that by then, Zero had deduced that Kuran wanted to be found out.

Kuran had a sort of masochistic side, it seemed, Zero thought sardonically. After all, the pureblood loved Yuki and could have her at any time. But, he stayed away.

Zero felt a pang of guilt again at the thought of Kuran. His human conscience seemed to have grown stronger with the pureblood vampire's blood.

He seriously wanted to shoot something.

That sentiment was why he unloaded a full clip into the tree next to him so he wouldn't _accidentally_ shoot the Night Class's Vice President. "Kaname wants to see you," Ichijo said in that all too humanistic cheerful way of his.

"If he wanted to see me, he should have gotten me by himself," Zero growled, starting to walk away.

Of course, the goddamn Vice President followed. "Well, he's not feeling well, so I came to get you for him!"

_Not feeling well? _

Immediately, his mind supplemented a "Serves him right" before making that guilty feeling increase two times as much as it was.

Ichijo took his silence as acquiescence, and then started guiding him towards Kuran's rooms. Zero let him. He had to set down some rules with Kuran first.

The Vice President left him in front of two big double doors, Zero noted with a little disgust. Purebloods were fawned upon, still.

He charged open the door immediately. He didn't need to pay courtesy to the Night Class President. All pretenses were gone as soon as his fangs had sunk into Kuran's neck.

"Welcome in, Kiryu."

Zero could sense the hostility--tasted it, really. "Kuran, why the hell did you want to see me?"

"You're concerned? I'm touched."

Zero was taken aback by the venom, but retorted, "Answer the question, and then I'll leave."

"You won't."

He wouldn't, would he? Kuran didn't command _him._ Not after he'd sucked his blood. "I will. The only reason I came is to ask why you told Yuki that lie after you know you'd be found out and to tell you to stay the hell out of my life."

Abruptly, he found himself slammed up into the wall by the throat. "You will not leave," Kuran hissed, "until I tell you to." Zero's Bloody Rose's chain clinked to the ground as Kuran kicked the gun with barely a sidestep, sending it skidding across the floor and under the couch.

He had been off guard. Kuran's hand that was, oddly enough, not choking him at all had the distinct tremor of letting him know that he was holding back.

However, it wasn't these things that made Zero feel fear. He would never feel fear in front of Kuran.

But now… He saw _something_flicker in Kuran's eyes.

And that was what sent fear shivering through his body.

Of course, the bastard just had to notice, and _smirked_ before whispering in Zero's ear, "You have gotten complacent. You forget that _I_gave you this blood--" the pureblood accented it by raking a sharp nail down his cheek "--And I can take it away just as easily. You are in no position to make _demands_of me."

Zero felt the warm trickle of blood carve its way down from the cut. He lay tense, waiting for the moment for that hand to slowly squeeze in taunt of his life, waiting for an indication that Kuran would take advantage of his defenseless position.

He did not expect Kuran to pull his head back, holding him up with his one hand like it was holding a feather in place, while he lifted his other hand to stare momentarily at his slightly bloody index finger.

And then he licked it. _His_blood.

Then more, as Kuran leaned towards his cheek and licked the wound, as if he were in a trance.

What the _hell_?

He couldn't really squirm, considering the hold on his neck. To try and kick Kuran would be calling for murder.

So, what better than to voice his thoughts?

"What the _hell_?"

The tongue continued licking at his cheek, rough, scraping for the blood left on his cheek as its saliva wove back the skin of the cut.

It was disturbingly enough like a--

Kuran tightened his hold on Zero's throat a fraction.

--malevolent kitten.

After a belated moment, Kuran let go of him.

For a moment, Zero stood, dazed, still feeling the leftover feeling of having his cheek _licked_, of all things, before analyzing the situation--and trying to forget as much of that experience as he could.

If he went for his gun now, he would most likely end up in the same position that they had been. If he tried to hurt Kuran, he'd probably get a few broken bones as a result.

The smartest thing to do was to stand where he was, and, though it bruised his pride by monuments, be at Kuran's beck and call.

"Kiryu," Kuran started. Zero noticed the mask was in place again--the sudden lack of hostility let him breathe. "Have a seat."

Kuran himself sat on the couch (directly above where Bloody Rose was) and patted the seat beside him.

His limbs moved mechanically, every nerve screaming against doing what Kuran asked of him--instead, he wanted to interrogate him. However, as the bastard had so kindly put it, he was in no position to make demands.

"The only reason I let you live is for Yuki. The only reason you will not descend to insanity is because of me." All of this was said in Kuran's cultured voice, measured and calm.

Then a silence set in.

At first, Zero thought there would be more. But as the quiet settled more firmly into place, he politely ground out, "Is there anything else?"

An amber eye flicked towards him, calculating but not quite cold. "No. However, if I do tell you all there is to know, I'm afraid that you would be very, very confused."

Zero couldn't bite back his retort. "You're concerned? I'm touched." The tone was mocking, a perfect emulation of what Kuran had said to Zero himself.

And, probably, for the first time, Kuran smiled without Yuki present. A genuine smile--though Zero couldn't figure out how he knew it was.

Zero blinked, and it was gone.

"Kiryu, you will stay here tonight because there will be an attempted murder on your life. Of course, there has been a taboo on drinking blood from pureblood vampires. I'm sure you know all about that, considering your status as a vampire hunter."

And then Kaname picked up a cup of tea that had long gone cold, and sipped it.

* * *

A/N: Like? Good! Don't like? Tell me what's wrong with it if your complaint has nothing to do with not liking the pairing. :) Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. I take joy in reviews, as well as my muse. They're her happy pills, so please do review. 


	6. Sixth Day

**A/N:** Hello! I've had this written for around six months now, but I didn't want to post it because, honestly, I'm not going to finish this fiction, and I was just using this chapter to jumpstart some creativity. But since I kept on getting reviews and alerts for this story, I figured I'd just post it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Vampire Knight.

* * *

It still didn't make sense.

This was Zero's first thought. In fact, _nothing_ made sense.

Wasn't he strong enough to hold off a few assassins? Why did Kuran invest so much into him if he couldn't even do that? And why the hell did he have to be holed up in this pureblood bastard's room to be protected, especially when said pureblood was insane and licking _his_ blood? The memory of Kuran's smile went out the window, only to be replaced with fury. He was _not_ helpless.

"Kuran," he spat. "Let me out." Zero's self-control was fracturing from the simple task of _not yelling_ at the pureblood.

"No," was the instant reply.

Zero stared at Kuran, boring missiles into his perfect composure. And as if he could anticipate what got on his nerves the most, Kuran continued his tea-sipping motion, drinking without a sound, and with a soft _clink_, placed the teacup back on its plate. Without returning Zero's stare—in fact, without acknowledging his presence whatsoever, but still somehow maintaining the aura of complete power—Kuran leaned forward to set the teacup and its singularly attention-inspiring plate back onto the table. His free hand picked up the nondescript book Zero only now noticed had been in the space between them, fingered the pages to where he had supposedly left off, and started reading.

He crossed his legs, and Zero's irritation spiked to notice that the leg on the floor was directly in front of the gap he would have taken to grab Bloody Rose.

Zero hated this sensation the most. Besides understanding that Kuran wanted to protect him while Yuki was in the hospital, Zero couldn't stand being caged because someone thought he wasn't able withstand a threat. Weakness was what he had avoided his entire life, and for the person he hated the most to tell him that he was, in fact, _weak_ made him furious.

And now, to be paralyzed so much that he hesitated to take the book Kuran was reading and throw it in the pureblood's face humiliated him.

In Zero's lap, his fists tightened as he forced himself to look away from Kuran. He had to calm down, think of a way to escape this suffocating "protection." He would not acknowledge that Kuran would take such extreme measures to preserve his life. After all, _he_ was the one that looked down his nose at Zero's existence every time he saw him. Less than a bug, little more than something he could control. A pawn to protect Yuki.

A realization crept up to him, pulling his fists apart.

Kuran protected him in order to protect Yuki. But from what? What was so big of a threat that Kuran himself had to protect him from? _Who?_

He glanced at Kuran, and was involuntarily frozen by soft brown eyes. Kuran still had his book open—he just wasn't reading it. He clapped the book close with a soft _tmp_ and set it down on his lap, still staring in a way that made Zero uncomfortable.

Kuran opened his mouth to say something, and then after what seemed to be some thought, closed it.

Immediately, Zero's fists clenched again in irritation, and he snapped, "What?"

"I would appreciate it if you held in your anger. The table will shatter," Kuran said. Not understanding, Zero looked back at the glass table and found a large crack stretching from the center to the side closest to him.

_No._

"You have gained powers by drinking my blood. Don't misuse them."

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to him, Zero knew. But the reflexive anger and self-loathing that was spawned from the realization that he was indebted to Kuran and that he was even more of a monster now than before couldn't be contained.

Another crack formed on the table.

He didn't want Kuran to see him like this.

There was another _crack_ but a hand touched him on the arm, and he found himself staring straight into Kuran's face.

—and something was unleashed onto the pureblood. Desperation, maybe, but what mattered were the thin ribbons of blood that splashed out of Kuran's body from the wounds Zero knew he had inflicted. In moments, the pureblood's white collared shirt soaked up the blood around the wounds on his chest, neck, and arms, the tears revealing broken skin.

Kuran hadn't blinked. His face was scratched, but even those cuts had begun to heal already. He removed his hand from Zero's arm, and as Zero watched, nonchalantly began to lick his wounds.

The shock was wearing off, but Zero would have preferred it to the bloodlust that crept up on him. His breath came a little heavier, and the sensation of his fangs growing, sharpening, sickened him. It had been… two days. Two days since he'd fed. He hadn't drunk that much, considering Aido's intervention, and his suppressed hunger reared its ugly head. He hadn't been thirsty before, but once he had seen blood, a powerful urge slammed into him.

Instinctively, his hand covered his face. Swaying, he got up from the couch and headed towards the door.

"Kiryu."

Zero stopped, looked over his shoulder. Kuran had finished healing his wounds, and now was sitting serenely on the couch, a mad contrast to the ruined shirt he wore.

"Where do you plan to go, in that state?" Kuran asked. Fury wasn't evident in his voice, but Zero felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "What do you plan to do?"

Zero didn't know, didn't care. He just had to get out of there. He turned away and stepped towards the door again.

"This is why you're weak," Kuran said, the hiss barely audible in his tone. But Zero could sense it, the disgust and condescension. He stopped again, and dimly, he realized that Kuran didn't wear shoes in his room because his footsteps made no sound as he approached him.

Hatred rose in Zero's body, giving him the strength, or maybe stupid courage, to keep his back to Kuran. But still, his feet wouldn't move.

"Give in, Kiryu," Kuran said, stopping behind him. Zero could feel the terrifyingly malevolent nature of the pureblood's command, and knew, without a doubt, that he would have obeyed if he hadn't already drunk Kuran's blood. But he was not afraid of the pureblood and what he would do to him. He was afraid of what he would do to himself. Involuntarily, he shuddered.

Zero had the choice this time. And he would not let Kuran make his decisions for him. The insanity was fading already, and although the scent of blood still lingered, he crushed down the hunger with his will, like he'd done so many times before.

He looked over his shoulder, at Kuran and straight into that glare, and said, "No."

And with that response, and with no resistance, he stalked out of the Night Class dorm president's room.

It was cold outside.

Atop its perch in a tree, a crow _caw_ed and flapped away.

Maria Kurenai's tongue delicately licked her lips as her consciousness returned to her body and smiled. "He's grown up to be so handsome… and with that man's interest as well." She laughed, and looked up to the masked figure beside her. "Though I suppose you two are twins after all. Why don't we go visit your brother, Ichiryu?"

* * *

**A/N:** Before you guys ask, again, no, I'm not going to finish this fiction. Still, thanks for all of your support!


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